Do you ever wonder how the really BIG ideas happen? From DaVinci and Einstein to Edison and Henry Ford: all made monumental advances through revolutionary thinking. Whether you're a scientist, intrepreneur, entrepreneur or corporate strategist, real success and real impact will come from your organization's ability to deliver quantum leap-style thinking that promotes advances in technological innovation and products that boost bottom line results. But how do you do this? How can you become a REVOLUTIONARY thinker?

The MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. and the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta present a unique program that looks at how cutting-edge technologies are invented and how these technologies move from laboratory curiosity to real commercial adoption.

"The Power of Revolutionary Thinking" will feature a panel of visionary researchers who will explore how organizations, both large and small, can use revolutionary thinking to enhance the innovation process, and show us how advanced concepts go from far-off vision to becoming part of our everyday lives.

Speaker Biographies

Bob Cassanova

Dr. Robert A. Cassanova is the Director of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) in Atlanta, Georgia . The NIAC is focused on the development of revolutionary, advanced systems and architectures in the fields of aeronautics and space. He is the recipient of the NASA Public Service Medal for exceptional contributions to the Mission of NASA. Prior to becoming the Director of NIAC, Cassanova was Director of the Aerospace and Transportation Laboratory in the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). While in GTRI and in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, he performed research in biofluid mechanics, solar thermal energy, acoustics, combustion and rarefied gas dynamics. He received a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology; an MS in Space Aerospace Engineering from the University of Tennessee; and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University.

Penny Boston

Dr. Penelope J. Boston is Director of Cave and Karst Studies and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; and Director of Research for Complex Systems Research, Inc., Boulder, Colorado. Boston specializes in cave microbiology, microbial life in extreme environments, astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth, human life support in space, Mars research and human exploration of the solar system. One of the founders of The Case for Mars series of conferences, she is the author of more than 70 papers and an upcoming book on extreme life forms. She earned a PhD in Environmental, Population from the University of Colorado and the National Center for Atmospheric Research; an MS in Microbiology and Atmospheric Chemistry, and a BS in Microbiology, Geology, and Psychology, from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Bradley Edwards

Dr. Bradley Carl Edwards is President and Founder of Carbon Designs, a developer of high strength materials. He has led development of the space elevator project, organized three conferences, led a research staff of 70 people at the Institute for Scientific Research, and written the definitive book on the space elevator. Previously, Edwards spent 11 years as a staff member at Los Alamos National laboratory (LANL) leading advanced technology efforts for lunar missions, optical cryocooler development, and a Europa orbiter mission. He has over 50 publications, with three books and eight papers in the works, and has appeared on the cover of Discover and Science News. Edwards received his PhD in Physics in 1990. He is a NIAC Phase II Fellow.

Dava Newman AA '89

Dr. Dava Newman AA '89 is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, and faculty in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program (an MD and PhD program between Harvard and MIT). Newman specializes in investigating astronaut performance across the spectrum of gravity. She is currently the Principal Investigator (PI) on the MICR0-G space flight experiment to quantify astronaut intravehicular activity (IVA) onboard the International Space Station. Previously, Dr. Newman has been the PI for Space Shuttle experiments dealing with load sensors and astronaut workloads. Newman earned a PhD from MIT in Aeronautics, Biomed and Engineering. She is a NIAC Phase II Fellow.

Alf Nucifora

Alf Nucifora (moderator) is the Chairman of Nucifora Consulting Group, specializing in strategic planning and marketing services consultation. He is also a marketing columnist, syndicated in 40+ business publications across the country. A native of Brisbane, Australia, Nucifora entered the advertising and marketing business on the corporate side working for two Fortune 500 companies, first in Australia and then in the United States. He then made the move to the advertising business and later advanced into agency management as Chairman of the Southeast office of a $310 million advertising agency. He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School , and a BA from the University of Queensland, Australia.

MIT Institute Prof. ROBERT LANGER, one of the world's most innovative and prolific researchers, will share his insights on the future of biomaterials and biotechnology.

Advances in drug delivery and tissue engineering are revolutionizing medical therapies. New drug delivery technologies including novel polymers and intelligent microchips promise to create new treatments for cancer, heart disease and many other illnesses. Furthermore, by combining mammalian cells with synthetic polymers, new approaches for engineering tissues are being developed that may someday help repair tissues for patients with burns, damaged cartilage, paralysis and vascular disease.Prof. Langer is one of 14 Institute Professors, the highest honor awarded to an MIT faculty member. Dr. Langer has written over 840 articles and has over 500 issued or pending patents worldwide.

Forbes Magazine and Bio World have named Dr. Langer as one of the 25 most important individuals in biotechnology in the world. He received his B.S. from Cornell in 1970 and his Sc.D from MIT in 1974, both in Chemical Engineering.

Prof. Robert Langer, one of the world's most innovative and prolific researchers, will share his insights on the future of biomaterials and biotechnology at our kickoff meeting. We are extremely pleased to have Bob, and invite you to join us for this exciting event.

Advances in drug delivery and tissue engineering are revolutionizing medical therapies. New drug delivery technologies including novel polymers and intelligent microchips promise to create new treatments for cancer, heart disease and many other illnesses. Furthermore, by combining mammalian cells with synthetic polymers, new approaches for engineering tissues are being developed that may someday help repair tissues for patients with burns, damaged cartilage, paralysis and vascular disease.

Prof. Langer is one of 14 Institute Professors, the highest honor awarded to an MIT faculty member. Dr. Langer has written over 840 articles and has over 500 issued or pending patents worldwide, one of which was cited as the outstanding patent in Massachusetts in 1988 and one of 20 outstanding patents in the United States. He served as a member of the United States Food and Drug Administration's SCIENCE Board, the FDA's highest advisory board, including presiding as its Chairman from 1999-2002.

Dr. Langer has received over 130 major awards. In 2002, he received the Charles Stark Draper Prize, considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for engineers and the world's most prestigious engineering prize, from the National Academy of Engineering. He is also the only engineer to receive the Gairdner Foundation International Award; 64 recipients of this award have subsequently received a Nobel Prize. In 1989 Dr. Langer was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and in 1992 he was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and to the National Academy of Engineering. He is one of very few people ever elected to all three United States National Academies and the youngest in history (at age 43) to ever receive this distinction.

Forbes Magazine and Bio World have named Dr. Langer as one of the 25 most important individuals in biotechnology in the world. He received his B.S. from Cornell in 1970 and his Sc.D from MIT in 1974, both in Chemical Engineering.